Table 4. Multivariate regression analysis with backward elimination.

	Regression- Coefficient	Confidence Interval (95%)	P
vascular patient	-0.18302	-0.24021–-0.12583	<0.001
HCT	0.00998	0.00354–0.01641	0.003
platelet numbers	0.00068	0.00034–0.00100	<0.001

This analysis was performed to calculate the difference of serum-S1P between controls and atherosclerotic patients while controlling for blood parameters that significantly influence S1P levels. Calculations were performed using R-software [24], HCT = hematocrit